As a nod to Yorkshire being voted one of the must see regions in the world recently, here are a few of the many events going on around the county this weekend.

Starting this Saturday and for the following two Saturdays before Christmas, Grassington travels back in time for its annual Dickensian Festival. This pretty village will be filled with the traditional sights and smells (only the nice ones) from this bygone era. Lights will adorn the streets and the traditional market will abound with shopkeepers and villagers all dressed in Victorian costume. There will be street entertainers, dancers, musicians and exhibitions of traditional country crafts.

In York from this Saturday until Christmas Eve you can take a magical steam train journey to the North Yorkshire Pole to meet Santa and his elves. Families can enjoy the trip and some festive treats in the beautiful Dining Car Restaurant. A lovely day out.

On every weekend until the 2nd December is Breakfast with Santa at Stockeld Park, Wetherby, as part of its Christmas Adventure Season. Join Santa and his friends for a tasty breakfast and each child will receive a Christmas present!

The National Media Museum in Bradford is holding a special exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. One of Britain’s most popular television programmes, the exhibition will explore what it means to the many fans. Doctor Who and Me: 50 Years of Doctor Who Fans will run from 23 November 2013 – 9 February 2014.

The Headrow in Leeds will be showcasing jewellery of eight contemporary designers until 11th January. There will be beautiful collections of unique earrings, necklaces, rings, brooches and cufflinks, all perfect for Christmas gifts.

Also at the Headrow is ‘Up Front’ an exhibition showcasing 9 designers exploring colourful and characterful ceramics, glass and wood pieces.

If you’re in the mood for some theatre and you’re near Queen Street in Huddersfield this Saturday, go to see ALADDIN. Performed by the young people of Exit 25 Theatre School, watch a great production suitable for all the family.

Yorkshire was given the title after a vote made by national and international travel agents. With around 216 million visitors each year, and a 12 per cent increase in international tourists last year, it’s an unsurprising win.

Gary Verity, the chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The win is testament to all the thousands of fantastic businesses we have in Yorkshire that time and again put the county on the map for millions of holidaymakers, not just in Britain, but the world over.”

In an attempt to continue to push the county as the place to visit, the tourist board are putting in a bid for the starting stage of the Tour de France in 2016. Every two years the famous tour has the opening stage of the race in another country before it continues into France. Around 150,000 people have backed the bid so far, why not join them?

Welcome to Yorkshire, which supports tourism in the region as a whole, has complained to the Government over the decision, claiming that Cumbria, Northumberland and Cornwall have all benefited from the Regional Growth Fund, so Visit England’s reason does not stand up.

Welcome to Yorkshire said: “They’ve consistently told us that there won’t be money for Welcome to Yorkshire to support Yorkshire as a whole because we’re not a destination. Try telling that to the thousands of visitors who choose to holiday in Yorkshire every year, or the many tourism businesses who know how important the Yorkshire brand is in helping them to attract visitors.”

Before any proud Yorkshire folk get too irate about there being no funding at all, Visit England has allocated £500,000 each to York and Leeds to help with promotion. However, as anyone in the county will know, these two cities are not all it has to offer. Proof of this must be in the gold medal Welcome to Yorkshire won in the World Travel Awards earlier this year.

Welcome to Yorkshire claim it has boosted the visitor economy from £5.9bn to £7bn and created 4,000 jobs. It also claimed that last week, the former culture secretary Jeremy Hunt singled out the county as “an excellent holiday destination”.

What do you think to Visit England’s decision? Is it fair? Please post your comments below.